"Here," he said abruptly, stripping the silk-lined cloak from his shoulders, "take that. Get me Claire's lace mantilla and her wrapper with the capuchin hood. I have made a good enough maid before at the revels of carnival. They always chose me to act Joan of Domremy at the Sorbonne on Orleans Day. It is Claire they are after. Moreover, they are in a hurry. Be quick--bid her give them to you. But tell her nothing!" And so the blunt Alcalde-Miller went up to Claire, who was busily supplying consolation to Madame Amélie. "Your lace mantilla," he said, "your cloak and hood! Quick--we have need of them!" he said abruptly. "Take this." Now Claire had served too long an apprenticeship to dangers and strange unexplained demands during her father's wanderings to show any surprise. She put them on the miller's arm without a single question. It was only when he added, "Now--put this on," and threw the silken court-cloak belonging to the Abbé John over her shoulders, that she stammered something. "This--why this--is--is----" "Never mind what it is," growled the Miller-Alcalde; "at any rate, it will not bite you, and you may need it before the night is out!" And so without a good-bye--only just settling the lace mantilla as becomingly as possible upon his head and drawing the waist-ribbon of the girl's cloak close round his middle, the Abbé John, with a wave of his hand and a low-spoken "Take good care of her" to the miller, sauntered carelessly back through the maze of sand-hills in the direction of these three good and faithful bloodhounds of the Holy Inquisition, Felieu the Esplugan, Andrés the Ape, and the giant Serra of the African smile, who loved his work for his work's sake. And between his teeth John d'Albret muttered these words, "I will show them." Also once, just when he came within hearing of the stealthy creep of the pursuers, he added, "And I will show her!" He did. For when next Claire Agnew looked back, the One for whom she looked was not. CHAPTER XXXIV. BISHOP, ARCHBISHOP, AND ANGELICAL DOCTOR At sight of his master in the boat Jean-aux-Choux turned sharply to the left. Obviously they must try elsewhere. The way of the sea was shut to them in front; the enemy was clearly awake and waiting for them there. The net behind had not had time to be drawn tight, and if the Abbé John proved successful in deceiving the familiars of the Holy Office, it would not close. Still, there was every reason for haste. There was no disguising that fact.